New Delhi, Feb 7 (IANS): The Supreme Court on Wednesday cancelled 88 mining leases in Goa that were renewed by the state government in 2015 just before the Mines and Minerals (Regulation and Development) Act mandated the auction of mining leases.
Cancelling the leases that were renewed for 20 years from 2007, a bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta said that the Goa government will examine the applications for mining leases afresh in accordance with the law.
Observing that the renewal of a mining lease was hasty and illegal, the court said that all mining activity, involving the Iron and Manganese mines, in Goa would come to halt by March 15.
The top court judgement cancelling the mining leases has come on a petition by NGO Goa Foundation which had challenged the renewal of mining leases by the State government.